The Children of Grima
by twistedwonderland101
Summary: Fate is a fickle mistress - she is indecisive and is known to throw surprises our way. Now she asks this: What if Chrom met more than one person on that field? What if our Tactician had a family member by their side as support, one who wasn't marked by Grima? Vienna and Kain are those siblings, and join them as they embark on a journey to save their world from a dark future.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** As I have mentioned in my short-story compilation, _"Children Disowned By Time",_ I have written my own "novelization" of the Fire Emblem: Awakening story. Though, this one has a slight twist as is mentioned in the story's summary. This fanfiction is heavily based off of my _second _and _third_ playthrough of Fire Emblem: Awakening, so the hinted couples from _"Children Disowned By Time"_ are not in this one. I also deter anyone who _doesn't_ want to be spoiled about the game from reading this fanfic. Go play the game and come back when you're ready! If you don't mind spoilers, then carry on and enjoy the story.

**DISCLAIMER:** **I DO NOT OWN FIRE EMBLEM: AWAKENING NOR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS USED BESIDES THE MAIN CHARACTERS, VIENNA AND KAIN!** **THIS WAS WRITTEN PURELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES!**

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><p><strong><span>Invisible Ties<span>**

Flashes of lightning and purple flame flew through the air, colliding against the surfaces of walls, ceiling and flooring as the two spell casters danced around each other. The taller of the two had dark skin that was gray-ish in color; his eyes shone with malicious intent as a hateful sneer distorted his sharp features. The other donned a hood and stood a tad bit smaller than the latter; the hood shielded the top half of her face, leaving her expression to mystery. But with the way her lips were pressed into a thin line was enough to show her determination. The two were locked in combat, tomes in hand, and neither one looked close to backing out.

"Validar," hissed the hooded spell caster. "I will see you defeated!"

The man, Validar, laughed, a sound that would break the courage of any man, but the hooded figure before him was _not_ anywhere near ordinary. "We shall see about that."

At the exact same time, almost in complete unison, they both casted their spells; the magic colliding with each other, canceling each other out and creating a powerful explosion that sent both spell casters flying to the ground.

As she hit the ground, her hood fell back, revealing her delicate facial features, sharp brown eyes that shone with wisdom far beyond her years and an unruly amount of black hair that reached the middle of her neck. Upon impact, her Thoron tome skidded away from her, leaving her defenseless against Validar. She quickly scrambled to her feet to grab her book, when Validar summoned a ball of dark energy and targeted it straight for her.

But before the spell could connect, a blur of silver and blue collided against her body, putting her out of harm's way. Another explosion erupted from the floor where she once was, leaving behind a deep crater in its wake.

"Are you alright, Vienna?" asked her savior, his light blue eyes still trained on the dark mage that stood across the room.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. Vienna grabbed her tome from the stone floor and glared down at Validar. "Thank you, Chrom."

"Fools," bellowed Validar, rage glowing in his yellow eyes. "_Die!_"

With a thrust of his hand, he sent a wave of dark energy toward them. Vienna quickly intercepted the spell with another blast of lightning, canceling it out once more with a loud explosion. Once the dust cleared, Validar's eyes remained trained on Vienna - a look of irritation on his horrible face.

"This is it," said Chrom, his sword, Falchion, held out in front of him. "Our final battle." The prince glanced at Vienna and the look of absolute faith that shone in his eyes renewed her spirits almost instantly. "Vienna, you're one of us, and no _"destiny"_ can change that. Now let's kill this dastard and be done with it!"

"I couldn't agree more," she mumbled. With a tome in one hand, Vienna unsheathed her sword from its scabbard and poised it in front of her.

From across the room, Validar only laughed at them - mocking them even when it was obvious that the odds were indeed against him. He had no reinforcements; he had no more of those _monsters_ that he could summon to do his bidding. Yet, he had the gall to laugh at them, like he has already won. "Why do you resist?" he asked. "Accept your fate and I will give you a quick death!"

Chrom scowled at the dark mage before him. "I decline!"

With a loud battle roar, he surged forward and swung Falchion with all his might. Validar, now forced to enter close combat, unsheathed his own sword and met with Chrom's blows with inhumane agility for a man his age. The sound of metal scraping and clanging against each other filled the room as the two began their deadly dance. With each thrust and swing that Chrom threw at him, Validar was able to block. Every dirty trick that the old sorcerer tried to pull was thwarted by Chrom's quick reflexes; blocking the man's attempts to swipe under his feet by side-stepping at the last possible moment and slamming his elbow against Validar's chest, sending him stepping backwards and choking on his own breath.

Pure anger coursed through Validar's veins as he held out his tome and began to chant for his next spell. "Fools!" He sneered at the duo as a ring of glowing red spell circles appeared in the air and began to grow in size and number - his target, Vienna. "You can struggle all you want! You cannot unwrite what is already written!"

When the spell circle glowed its brightest, Vienna quickly thrusted her hand forward and shouted, "Thoron!"

A streak of lightning shot out of the tips of her fingers and collided with Validar's premature spell, disrupting the man's chanting and blocking his view with a large cloud of dust. Validar cursed as he frantically waved the dust from his eyes, but by the time his vision cleared, Chrom had already lunged forward with Falchion in hand. Unable to move any further, the blade sunk deep into Validar's flesh and pierced him through - a killing blow.

The sorcerer choked as he tried to gasp for breath, but Chrom only sank the sword deeper into the man's body before drawing it back and quickly retreating to Vienna's side.

"Checkmate," Vienna smirked, closing her tome with an audibly for emphasis.

Validar fell to his knees, the light dulling in his eyes before he fell face down to the floor, drawing his final breath.

For a moment, there was silence. Chrom and Vienna kept their eyes trained on the dark mage's body, searching for any sign that he was still alive. When they saw none, not even a rise of his chest, joy erupted from their hearts. They had won! The war was over and peace can return to the land!

Chrom faced Vienna, a grin - something she had not seen for ages - on his face. "We did it, Vienna! We won! And it's all thanks to you!"

The young woman felt a smile creep onto her face, then she saw something odd coming from Validar's _"corpse"_: purple smoke.

Upon seeing the smile drop from her face, Chrom looked at her with concern, gently grabbing her arm to get her attention. "What's wrong?" He asked, but Vienna couldn't answer. Her eyes were trained on the odd smoke and glow that began to surround Validar's body. And the unthinkable happened.

Validar's body rose back up onto its knees and with a voice that resonated inside her mind, he growled. "This isn't over... Damn you _both_!"

The ground shook violently as Validar thrusted both of his hands forward and summoned an enormous ball of energy and sent it barreling toward Chrom. At the speed that it was going, Vienna knew that he didn't have a chance of dodging it and escape unscathed. But Chrom getting injured was out of the question! So Vienna took matters into her own hands.

She pushed Chrom out of the spell's trajectory and took the hit for him.

A searing hot pain coursed through her body as she was sent flying backwards, slamming into the castle's stone interior walls. Energy crackled around her body as she fell limp onto the floor, her strength sapped from her body. She felt numb, almost like, she was...fading away.

"Vienna!" Chrom dashed to her side. The azure-haired swordsman knelt down next to her and propped her up in his arms. "Are you all right?"

She wanted to say, "No" and slap the man silly for asking such a stupid question, but her head nodded on its own. Ever so slightly, she began to realize that something was very, _very_ wrong.

"Good." Chrom slowly helped her get back on her feet and he smiled at her. He glanced back at Validar's body and scoffed. "That's the end of him," he glanced back at her and smiled. "Thanks to you we carried the day. We can rest easy now. At long last..."

Something was wrong. Vienna tried to focus on Chrom's words, but his voiced began to sound distant, like they were slowly moving away from each other step-by-step. A crackle of red magic passed through her vision.

_No_. Panic overwhelmed her senses. _That wasn't magic. There's something else here! Something's inside me! Chrom! Quick! Get away from me while you still can!_

She tried to scream his name, but her mouth remained shut. Her vision slowly began to turn red and she could feel her hand begin to conjure the Thoron spell.

Chrom noticed her odd behavior and he looked at her with concern. He had one hand wrapped around her waist as he tried to support her on her feet. "What's wrong? Hey, hang on-"

_Sshk!_

Vienna could only watch helplessly as she ran a spear of lightning through Chrom's chest. The look of shock in his eyes and how he looked at her like he didn't understand, it made her want to scream.

He began to stumble backwards. He grabbed at the lightning spell as if trying to pull it out. But what shattered her heart even more, wasn't the fact that he was in pain, that she had betrayed him - it was the forgiveness in his eyes that appeared when he locked his dulling gaze with hers.

"This...is not your...your fault," he choked out; his voice now barely even above a whisper. "Promise me that you'll escape from this place... Please, go..."

The light in his eyes disappeared as he fell face-down onto the ground. Chrom was dead. Vienna had murdered him.

A dark laughter rang in her ears, filling her mind, mocking her. She screamed, clutching her heard in her hands as she tried to block it out. Her left hand pulsing, sending arcs of red hot pain through her body.

Then it all went black.

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><p><em>Notes:<br>If you enjoyed this story, please, feel free to leave some feedback in the reviews. Criticisim is also welcome and is much appreciated by the author. Thank you!_


	2. Chapter 1

**A Fated Meeting**

Her skin felt warm in the sunlight; the bright rays rousing her from her deep sleep. She could hear voices nearby – a young male and a girl. For a moment, their voices were muted; what they were saying was incomprehensible before it began to clear up.

"-om…we have to do something!"

"Well, what do you propose we do?"

The two unknown persons began to bicker. The sheer volume of the conversation was loud enough to snap her consciousness back into her body. Vienna groaned, rolling over from her side to her back as her eyes slowly cracked open. The bright rays of sunlight suddenly in her eyes made her wince, forcing her to squint until she's adjusted. She felt tiny blades of grass tickle her skin and the smell of nature wafted in her nose.

Just where was she?

"I see you're awake now."

_What?_ She glanced up and noticed a familiar face – a blue-haired swordsman with bright blue eyes – but where she has seen his face before, she couldn't remember. She had a nagging feeling in the back of her head that she _knew_ the man standing before her, but at the same time, she knew he was a complete stranger. The whole situation just frustrated her. She had just woken up from a nap – much too early for her head to work on overdrive.

"Hey, are you alright?" A girl with similar blue eyes as the swordsman came into view, but unlike the man, she had light blonde hair that was pulled into two pigtails with a white lace headband atop her head. The girl looked younger – most likely around eighteen years-old. Judging by the concerned look on her face, Vienna must've had an odd expression herself.

"I-I'm…fine," she mumbled, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

A look of relief crossed the blonde girl's face.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," said the blue-haired man.

Vienna pursed her lips. Was she taking a nap? She doesn't remember anything prior to waking up in this field with these two strangers standing above her. It was a little worrisome.

A deep chuckled broke her chain of thought. She looked up again and noticed the blue-haired swordsman smiling at her; an amused glint in his eyes. Vienna frowned, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks. Just what was this man finding so funny? Does finding a poor, confused woman passed out in an unknown field look _funny_ to him?

"No," he was laughing again. "It's just…" He smirked at her, "you were speaking your mind just now."

"Oh," she mumbled. Her cheeks were probably red with embarrassment by now. "I see."

The blue-haired man laughed softly at her reaction, only furthering Vienna's growing embarrassment. "Here," he outstretched his right hand to her. "Give me your hand."

Vienna shot a cautious look at him before grabbing his hand, allowing herself to be pulled up from the ground and onto her feet. She _knew_ this man was a stranger, but she felt like she could trust him. No – it felt more like she's known him for her entire life. It didn't make sense, but that was how she felt.

Now that she was on her feet, Vienna finally got her bearings of the area. She was indeed in a field – a rather peaceful one too – with small white flowers sprouting from the soil. In the distance she could see the faint outline of mountains; trees dotted the landscape, and the clear blue sky only made the environment even more serene. She could understand why anyone would take a nap here, even if it was outdoors.

Patting off the dirt from her brown trousers, Vienna smiled at the swordsman. "Thank you, Chrom."

She paused. Now where did _that_ come from? Was that the man's name? How did she know his name? She's never met him before! Or, at least, she _thinks_ she's never met him before.

The blue-haired man looked just as confused as she did. "I'm sorry but, have we met before?"

"No," Vienna replied immediately – she knew she's never met this man before. If she had, she wouldn't forget such a handsome face.

_Whoa! Getting off topic there, Vienna. Focus!_

"Ah, then you know who I am then?"

"N-no, actually…" Vienna admitted. She felt her palms begin to sweat. How in gods' name was she going to explain it _without_ sounding like a complete loon? She considered changing the subject, but the look on "Chrom's" face – how he's just waiting for an explanation – just confirmed that there really was no way out of this conversation.

"Your name just, sort of, came to me," she explained, only to receive an even more befuddled expression from, not only Chrom, but also from the blonde pig-trailed girl from before. "I'm not entirely sure how I can possibly explain this, but it's the truth. Your name just popped up in my head and I ended up saying it unconsciously."

Chrom looked even more confused than before. But he had the right sense of mind to just nod his head and overlook the details and focus more on the current situation. "Odd. Tell me, what's your name? What brings you here?"

"My name is…" She stopped short. What _is_ her name? She has a name, yes. But…

"Madam, please answer milord's question," said a man in heavy, light-blue and silver armor. Had he been there the entire time? Vienna didn't notice. Funny. With such big armor shining in the summer sun, noticing this fellow would've been instant.

"I-I'm sorry," Vienna muttered, her head bowed in embarrassment. "I…can't recall my name."

Chrom looked alarmed. "You don't know your own name?"

Vienna shook her head.

"Chrom, I've heard of this!" said the young blonde girl. "It's called amnesia!"

The heavily armored knight scoffed. "It's called a load of pegasus dung. We're to believe you remember milord's name but not your own?"

Vienna bristled, her dark brown eyes flared with mild irritation. "I am telling the truth!" She understood the man's caution, obviously he worked under this Chrom fellow as a guardian of some sort, but he had no reason to be so rude.

Chrom stepped in-between the two before an argument could break out. "Calm yourself," he said to Vienna. And she did, though she did send the knight a few harsh looks. "Now Frederick," he turned to the brown-haired knight, "what if it _is_ true? We can't just leave a child alone here. What sort of Shepherds would we be then?"

Did she just hear him right? Did he just call her a _child_?!

"Just the same, milord," answered the knight, whose name is apparently _Frederick_. "But I must emphasize caution. 'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock, even if it is a child."

Anger bubbled inside the young woman standing before them. They _did_ think she was a child! She was most certainly _not_ a child! How could they possibly think that she is one? The nerve!

"I'll have you know that I am _not_ a child," she seethed. "I am a grown woman!"

The trio looked at her with surprise. A moment of stunned silence hung over the air until Chrom finally spoke up with hesitancy in his tone. "You…are an adult?"

She scowled. "Yes! I may not remember my name nor do I have a single clue as to where I am or how I got here, but I know I am no child!"

Chrom looked bewildered at the new information revealed to him. "My apologies," he said nervously. "I mean no offense whatsoever. It's just…you…look younger than most women. Also, you share the same height as my sister, so I only assumed…"

He trailed off, but he had said enough for Vienna to fully understand what he was getting at. He had assumed that she was a child because of her height, which she shared with his sister – the blonde girl, she was guessing. However, his explanation didn't manage to quell her anger. Instead, it just made it worse.

"Yes, well, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions." Vienna crossed her arms and glared daggers at the blue-haired swordsman.

The blonde girl giggled; her eyes sparkling with mirth and mischief. "I like her! She's fiery…like Sully!"

Vienna smiled softly; she didn't know who this Sully character was, but she knew a compliment when she hears one.

"R-right then. Now that's settled," Chrom cleared his throat and looked to Frederick. "We'll take her back to town and sort this out there."

"Of course, milord." Frederick bowed his head.

As soon as that was said, the trio immediately turned their backs to Vienna and made their way out of the field.

Vienna was stunned. He had made that decision and he didn't even bother to explain anything to her? Or even give her a chance to make a comment?

"Wait!"

All three of them stopped and turned to face her.

Vienna looked at them bewilderedly. "Don't I get a say in all of this?"

Chrom smiled at her reassuringly, sending a warm feeling rushing through her. "Peace, friend. I promise we'll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come."

He held out his hand to her, and without even giving it a second thought, she grabbed it and followed them to the road. She didn't know this man – the fact being ever so obvious – but she knew deep down that she could trust him. Vienna could only hope that she had made the right choice.

When the grass faded away into a dirt road, Vienna glanced back at the field that now stood behind them. For some reason, she had this strange feeling that she has forgotten something.

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><p><em>Notes:<br>First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. My final exams are coming up along with a national assessment exam, so I've been studying like hell for the past few weeks. But I managed to get this done in-between my **many** breaks that I could grab, so I hoped you enjoyed this new chapter. If you liked it, or just have anything you want to say to me, leave me a something in the reviews. As long as it's not hate (like that horribly written one by a Guest), I will respond in some way - depending on what you've said that is. :)  
><em>

_And in case you wanted to know, the reason why Vienna is so small is because the Avatar I used in the playthrough that the story is based on is customized with Build 2, the small, Lolita-ish one. And in those scenes where you see the 3D figures of the characters, she's around Lissa's height. So I figured Chrom would've pegged her for a young girl than the woman she actually is. ^^"_


	3. Chapter 2

**Silhouettes of a Forgotten Past**

Vienna followed the odd trio through the forest, albeit reluctantly. Her earthy brown eyes scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for a sleight bit of remembrance of how she had gotten into that field, passed out and defenseless to any passerby. The young woman had an inkling that taking naps out in the open was a habit that she most certainly doesn't indulge in. So how did she manage to get here?

_This is giving me a headache,_ she groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. _I obviously won't get my memories back very soon. Best to just focus on my current situation._ Vienna's gaze shifted to her "companions": Chrom, Frederick the knight, and Chrom's younger sister. So far she hasn't made much of an impression on the three; other than the fact that Frederick's overbearing protectiveness of his comrades was a tad irritating and that the blonde girl was unusually friendly.

_As long as they don't decide to kill me where I stand, _Vienna mused, _I'd indulge in any personality traits._ But in all honesty, she had no idea as to what they will do with her once they reach town. Are they going to leave her there and fend for herself, desperately searching for any connection that may lift the fog in her memories? Or will they keep her prisoner? The latter shook her to her very core.

"Hey," Vienna jumped, turning to face the young lady who was so eager to aid her when concluding that she had amnesia. "Are you okay? You looked a little pale for a second."

_Was I?_ Vienna frowned. "I'm fine, but may I ask you something?"

"Well you have our attention," grunted Frederick.

Vienna bit back a sharp remark, but glared at the back of the knight's head regardless. "I was just wondering, what will you do with me? Will I be your prisoner once you take me back to town?"

She flinched when Chrom suddenly erupted with laughter. "You needn't worry," he chuckled. "You'll be free to go once we establish that you are no enemy of Ylisse."

"Ylisse? Is that where we are?"

Frederick turned toward her, a sardonic smirk painted across his face. "You've never heard of the halidom?" He laughed, trying at Vienna's last strand of patience. "Someone pay this actress! She plays quite the fool. Look – even the furrowed brow is quite convincing."

Vienna growled. She's just about had enough with this knight's attitude. She won't allow herself to be ridiculed like this! "How dare y—"

"Frederick," Chrom chided, "that's enough." The blue-haired swordsman slowed his pace so that he was walking side-by-side with Vienna, startling the young woman greatly. "Allow me to explain; this land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. The ruler, Emmeryn, is called the exalt."

"I see," Vienna nodded her head.

"Oh! I suppose proper introductions are in order," Chrom smiled sheepishly. "My name is Chrom – but you already knew that." He smirked at her, flustering the blackette quite easily. He then gestured to the blonde girl, who just smiled at Vienna, practically glowing with a kind aura to her. "The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa."

Lissa's smile quickly disappeared. She glared at Chrom before stomping her feet on the ground rather childishly. "I am _not_ delicate!" She harrumphed. "Ignore my brother, please. Chrom can be a bit thick sometimes."

Vienna chuckled at Lissa's little display of disapproval – her instincts were right about this one; she was indeed kind, but also quite the handful. "I will take your word for it, Lissa. I suppose I should thank you all for finding me in that field. Who knows what would've happened to be if you hadn't."

"Indeed – you're _very_ lucky we Shepherds found you," said Lissa. "Brigands would've been quite the rude awakening!"

"Shepherds?" She glanced at Frederick's heavy armor and the sword that Chrom had carried at his side. "You are shepherds? As in people who tend sheep? But…you do it in full armor?"

Chrom smirked. "Well, it is a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary here."

Vienna snickerd at the other man's nickname. Thankfully, Frederick chose to ignore her than glare. "It's a title that I shall wear with pride," he announced. "Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution." He looked back at Vienna and what he said next caught the woman off guard. "I have every wish to trust you, but my station mandates otherwise."

"Oh," Vienna mumbled. "I…I understand, sir. I suppose I would have done no less myself." _But it would've been better if you hadn't been so rude about it all earlier_, she added silently.

Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her head. Vienna staggered, raising the attention of her companions.

"W-what's wrong?!" cried Lissa, who hurried to her side and quickly held Vienna up.

Vienna groaned in pain; flashes of images were going through her head, but they were moving too fast for her to derive anything from them. She saw a silhouette of young man and a woman, then she saw images of battle and the faint sensation of someone grabbing her arm and frantically calling her name, _"Vienna!"_

Her eyes snapped open and her vision was blurred. Her hands were trembling and she could feel a cold sweat rolling from the back of her neck. Vienna… Was that her name? But who were those figures? Who was the man who called out to her, and why did he sound so scared?

"Stay with us," said Chrom, who Vienna had just realized, was knelt down right in front of her with his hands firmly clasped onto her shoulders. "Are you alright? Can you walk?"

She took a deep breath and gripped at her hands. "I-I think so." She slowly got back up onto her feet with the help of Lissa. It was odd to see such worried expressions on the faces of absolute strangers, though she still couldn't shake off the feeling that she had met Chrom from somewhere before. "Thank you."

"What was that all about?" asked Lissa. "One moment you were fine and then – _bam!_ You were doubled over and shaking like a leaf!"

"I'm sorry if I troubled you," Vienna said solemnly. "But…I think I recalled some part of my memory…and my name."

Frederick cocked an eyebrow with interest. "And that is?"

She smiled at the three rather warmly. "My name is Vienna. At least that's one mystery solved."

"Vienna?" Chrom repeated slowly, testing her name. "Is that foreign?"

She shrugged.

"Ah, well. We can discuss that later. Now, you said that you remembered something? What did you—"

"Chrom," Lissa shrieked, pointing out to something in the distance. "Look! The town!"

Vienna gasped as she spotted what had caused Lissa to go into a panic; in the distance was no doubt that town Chrom and the others had planned on taking her to, set aflame. A large plume of black smoke rose up into the sky and the faint sound of the screams of the townspeople drifted to their ears. This apparently wasn't a common accidental fire…

"Damn it!" Chrom scowled. "The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt…" He turned to Frederick and Lissa. "Quickly! We have to save the townspeople!"

"What about her?" Frederick gestured to Vienna, who stood as still as a statue as she gawked at the blazing town.

"Unless she's on fire as well, it can wait!"

Frederick nodded. "Aptly put, milord."

Lissa ruffled her wild pigtails with irritation. "Enough talking! Let's go already!"

The three immediately ran towards the town without another word, leaving Vienna alone with her thoughts. She watched the trio disappear from her line of sight, leaving her at a crossroad; does she follow them, or does she run away and perhaps never see the likes of them ever again? The latter weighed heavily on her mind; she knew it'd be best to leave now than to sit down and wait for them to return and eventually pass judgement on her, but her instincts said otherwise.

_They are good people. _She thought. _They have been nothing but kind to me this whole time. What kind of person would I be if I decided to run craven and abandon them when they could need my skills?_

_Wait…skills?_ Vienna paused. How was she so sure that she would be of use in a battlefield? She was barely able to recall her own name! How could she possibly be capable to survive a skirmish against brigands?

With a frustrated groan, she fell to her knees and upon impact, she felt something heavy smack against her side.

"Huh?" Opening the left side of her over-sized coat, she noticed a tome nestled in an inside pocket. Pulling it out, she felt a sense of familiarity as she held the tome in her hands. She traced the yellow-ish leather and already she could feel power pulse through her.

Without a second to waste, Vienna held the tome tight and darted after Chrom and the others.

* * *

><p>Vienna ran into the town and was greeted by the harsh sounds and sights of battle. Brigands of all classes were clashing against Chrom and Frederick, who were being pushed back to the edge of the town square with Lissa behind them. Near what she assumed to formerly be a chapel, a muscled man with more hair than a normal person should have stood with a blonde woman – a hostage.<p>

"You know the routine, boys," the man jeered. "Take anythin' that shines and take out anyone who gets in your way!"

"Someone! _Help!_" The woman screamed as she attempted to push the barbarian away from her.

Anger overwhelmed her; she needed to deal with these brigands quickly. From the corner of her eye, Vienna spotted a brigand mage preparing to conjure what she could guess to be a fire spell, aiming right for an unsuspecting Frederick, who was now mounted on a horse, whose hands were full with two troublesome myrmidons.

"Not so fast!" She opened her tome and glanced at the pages, immediately muttering the incantations to the spell. Runes began to encircle her hand as she thrusted it forward, a trail of lightning shooting out from her fingertips and striking the mage at the very center of his back. The mage crumpled wordlessly to the ground and Vienna found herself gaining some unwanted attention from his teammates and from her companions.

"Vienna?" Chrom stared at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. "You followed us! Why?"

"And you know magic?" Lissa added, her expression mirroring that of her brother's.

Vienna didn't have the time to answer as a nearby brigand came running toward her, axe raised and ready to chop her head right from her shoulders. She narrowly evaded the beheading and slammed her fist into the man's throat. He fell to the ground, gasping and wheezing for breath and Vienna quickly darted over to the others, shooting what she now remembered to be Arcthunder spells at any brigand who thought to get the best of her. When she finally found herself in the company of Chrom, she said, "I'm sorry. I know it's not my place to intrude and throw myself into your battles, but I'm armed and I know my way around a fight…"

"Clearly," Lissa commented underbreath.

Vienna ignored her. "But the choice is yours. I can aide you, if you'll have me."

Chrom contemplated on this; as his gaze fell over the remaining number of brigands, which clearly outnumbered them, he quickly nodded his head. "Of course – strength in numbers, as they say. Just stay close!"

"Right!" Vienna flipped her tome open and quickly took out the remaining myrmidon that Frederick was facing.

The knight glanced at her and gave her a thankful smile. "You have my thanks."

Lissa quickly made her way to the knight and raised her staff, healing him of his wounds.

"Quickly, Vienna, we should deal with the brigand's commander," Chrom said, glaring at the irritatingly loud barbarian near the burnt chapel.

"Agreed." She looked to Frederick and Lissa. "Sir Frederick, can you keep the other brigands at bay while we pursue their commander? And Lissa, can you stay with him and make sure he doesn't get too hurt?"

For a moment, Frederick had a look of apprehension upon receiving orders from someone other than his lord, but with the brigands that were quickly making their way towards them, he had little choice but to comply. "Of course."

"You can count on us, Vienna!" cheered Lissa, who was quickly pulled up onto Frederick's horse.

Chrom and Vienna quickly ran through the crowd of brigands, striking down all who got too close for comfort. As they neared the bridge, the brigands who guarded their commander quickly ran to meet them.

"Look out!" Vienna pushed Chrom out of range of the enemy mage's Elfire spell, but not without cost. The young woman winced as she clutched her right hand, which had been lightly burned from brief contact with the flames.

Chrom immediately dispatched the mage and swung his sword in a wide arc, downing two of the enemy's barbarians and keeping the last remaining myrmidons at bay. "Are you okay, Vienna?"

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. She shot another arc of lightning from her fingertips, claiming the life of one of the myrmidons. "It's just a small burn, nothing Lissa's staff couldn't fix."

Chrom didn't chuckle like she thought he would, instead he sunk his blade into the chest of the remaining myrmidon before glancing at her. "How did you know that mage would aim for me?"

Vienna pursed her lips; that was actually a good question – just how _did_ she know? "I can't really explain it, but here on the battlefield, I can… Well, I can "see" things."

"See things?" Chrom looked just as confused as he did when they had first met. "Like what?"

"I can seize up the enemy's strength, point out their weaponry, see their possible courses of action," Vienna listed. "I…I know I must've studied this from somewhere."

The azure swordsman said nothing more. He just nodded his head and together, they made their way to the man who had orchestrated this attack.

* * *

><p>The minute they had crossed the bridge, an axe had whizzed by Vienna's cheek, missing the young woman by centimeters. The man who lead the group of brigands was just as ugly up close than he was from afar; hair covered his chest and arms, his hair was horribly greasy, and the leer that he had sent Vienna's way made her gag. She wasn't looking at a man, she was looking at a pig.<p>

"Here, sheepy sheepy!" He was teasing them now. "Come to the slaughter!"

Oh, how she wished she could just blast a good Arcthunder into his face, but the terrified expression of the village woman that he had held by the arm, kept her from doing so. "Chrom," Vienna whispered. "We have to find some way to save the girl first. We might end up hurting her in the process if we attack now."

"I know," Chrom frowned. "But how?"

The brigand leader noticed their hesitation and continued to jeer at them, a smug grin stretched across his face. "Aww, what's the matter? You scared to face the Great Garrick? Why don't you run off now, _boy_, and maybe leave your pretty little friend here with me. Do that and I'll let ya live."

"Scared?" Vienna scoffed. "Of the likes of a _craven_ like you?"

Anger flashed in his eyes. "What'cha say?"

"Vienna," Chrom's eyes glanced at her. "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me," she whispered. She stood taller and locked eyes with the brute and smirked. "I called you a craven – a coward, a weak man who hides behind an unarmed citizen's body. If you are truly as _"great"_ as you say, then fight like a man, dastard!"

The brutish man snarled, revealing a set of yellowing teeth – a sight Vienna didn't need, and certainly didn't _want_, to see. "I'd watch that mouth of yours, lass! Or I might just decide to rip it right outta your mouth!"

His focus was entirely on them now, and Vienna could see his grip slacken around the woman's arm. Just when he hefted up another one of his axes to throw at them, she snapped her hand forward, sending a blast of lightning from her fingertips and right at the man's good arm. The overall image of lightning burning through skin and charring muscle wasn't pretty and the gorey wound that she had left on him would've made any first-time fighter vomit, but Vienna remained unfazed. As cold as it sounds, it was the truth. She didn't flinch, didn't even feel queasy at the sight of the wound; she concluded that she may have seen many abattle in her shrouded past before this, making her all the more curious about her memories.

Garrick's scream was nothing short of blood-curdling. He relinquished his hold on his hostage – the woman immediately running away to safety – and gripped at his burning arm. He glared daggers at Vienna and said through gritted teeth, "You just got yourself a death sentence!"

"No," Vienna said. "You did."

The barbarian huffed and lifted his axe with his other arm – the wounded one now flopping uselessly at his side. With a great bellow, he charged at Chrom and Vienna and swung with all his might, but the arm he was using now wasn't his strongest. The duo quickly side-stepped out of the way, giving Chrom the opening to thrust his sword into the man's back. "The Great Garrick" could only grunt in surprise before he slumped to the ground dead.

Vienna released a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding in and calmed herself – her hear still pounding from the rush of battle. It was still very odd to her – no past, no memories at all, but she felt strangely comfortable in the heat of battle. "Well," she let out a weak chuckle. "That's the end of that."

Chrom looked at her, and for a second, she feared that he'd reprimand her for agitating the barbarian or maybe comment about how cold she had been when dealing that blow on his arm. But the azure swordsman just smiled softly and nodded in agreement. "Indeed. We should regroup with Frederick and Lissa. I'm sure by now Sir Frederick the Wary is worrying himself over what's become of us by now."

Vienna laughed because she had a feeling that Chrom was probably not that far from the truth.

* * *

><p>With the brigands dealt with and the fires put out, Vienna finally found herself relaxing as she leaned against the cold stone wall of one of the town's establishments. Across from her, Chrom and Frederick were talking with some of the townspeople, who were incredibly grateful for their help, practically on their knees with gratitude. Vienna giggled at the flustered expression on Chrom's face as he was thanked by the woman they had rescued from the brigand's leader, Garrick. If that wasn't an expression of discomfort on Chrom's face then Vienna didn't know what it was.<p>

"Boy, this town sure is lucky that we were close by," Lissa chirped. The blonde cleric made herself comfortable leaning against the same wall next to Vienna. "But holy wow, Vienna!" She grabbed at the blackette's hands and smiled at her; her eyes sparkling with admiration. "You were incredible out there! Sorcery, _and_ tactics! I'm starting to think that you can practically do _anything!_"

Now Vienna was starting to get the gist of how Chrom is probably feeling right now with that town maiden. "Um…thanks? But now you're just over exaggerating, Lissa. I mean, I can't hold a sword to save my life – I think…"

Judging by the look on Lissa's face, Vienna could guess that the cleric didn't believe her.

"Well, you're certainly no helpless victim, that much is for sure."

"Chrom!" Vienna jumped in surprise. The blue swordsman and Frederick had finally pulled themselves away from the adoring crowd of thankful townsmen and had joined in on the conversation.

"I agree," said Frederick, but tone didn't sound as elated as Chrom's. "Perhaps now that you've regained the memory of your battle skills, you can explain how you may have came here?"

Vienna sighed – back to square one. "I understand your skepticism, Sir Frederick. But I don't know how I came to that field nor do I remember how I know how to fight like I did before. I assure you that I'm speaking with complete honesty when I say that I've shared all that I know to you all."

Frederick still didn't look anywhere near to trusting her, but he seemed convinced with what she had said.

"You did mention remembering something just before we ran off to save the town," said Chrom. "Can you tell us what you remembered? Even if it's small, it could be of use in finding out who you are."

Vienna sighed. "I did recall something, but it was all a blur. I saw shadows, faces I couldn't really focus on – but I do know I saw a man and a woman and the man shouted my name." She furrowed her brow in concern. "He sounded particularly terrified for me – like he was desperately calling out to me."

A look of concern fell over Chrom's face. "I see," he mumbled. "Do you think these people could be in Southtown?"

Vienna shook her head. After everything had calmed down, she had taken it upon herself to explore the area a bit and ask around if anyone else had come by the town before the brigands had showed up – all she received were shakes of heads and unsure answers. "No. Sadly, I don't think the two in my memory are nearby…or even alive for that matter."

Lissa whimpered. "Oh – I'm so sorry, Vienna."

"No. There's no need to apologize, Lissa," she smiled at the girl. "I've…already come in terms with it."

"Well, Vienna," Chrom said, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. "You fought to save Ylissean lives today. My heart says that you've done more than enough to earn my trust."

Frederick bristled. "And your mind, milord? Will you not heed its counsel as well?"

Chrom let out an exasperated sigh. "Frederick, the Shepherds could use someone with Vienna's talents. We have brigands and unruly neighbours all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician?" He turned to smile warmly at her, sending heat rushing to Vienna's face. "Besides, as checkered her past may be, I believe in her story."

Hearing him say that sent a warm feeling rushing through her – it shocked her, to say the least. "Th-thank you, Chrom."

The overprotective knight could only sigh and admit defeat as Chrom held out his hand to Vienna, just like he had done when they had met on that field. "So how about it, Vienna? Will you join us?"

She smiled and took his hand without a second though. "I would be honored."

* * *

><p>Far away from the odd group, a hooded man looked on, hidden from sight. Though his features were concealed by the hood of his cloak, one could see that he had keen eyes trained on a particular black-haired woman. He watched as she conversed with the group that had taken her into Southtown – laughing and smiling, as if they were old friends. When they headed off, the hooded man frowned and his fists clenched as a sense of uneasiness wafted over him. So many questions ran through his head; why is she with these people? How could she allow herself to be taken by strangers so easily?<p>

It just didn't make sense.

A rough tug on his cloak broke him from his thoughts. The man glanced back and sighed – not with annoyance, but in a way that a guardian would when seeing a child do something silly. His mount and closest friend, a handsome-looking griffon, had a good bundle of his leaf green cloak in his beak. The griffon was large like all others of his kind, but his size was substantially bigger; the rich brown feathers that covered the beast's wings and front were practically shining in the sunlight today, along with the fur at its hindquarters. Upon noticing that he had his master's attention, he cawed – his sharp yet very intelligent eyes locking on to the retreating form of the purple clad woman they had been tracking for most of the day. The beast then looked back to his master and cawed again, albeit in a quizzical way.

"Yes, yes – I know," sighed the man. "I want to go to her just as much as you do, but we can't – not with those people around her right now. We'll have to wait just a little bit longer, boy."

The griffon's head drooped, releasing a more melancholic cry to his master, one that definitely pulled at his heartstrings. The man stroked the beast's head in a comforting manner, whispering promises of a reunion soon.

The hooded man glanced over to where _she_ had just been before throwing himself over onto the griffon and into the saddle that was buckled around the beast's strong body. "C'mon," he said, brown eyes and wild black hair peeking out from the shadows of the cloak's hood. "Time to take to the skies, boy, lest we lose 'em, and I don't plan on losing Vienna twice today."

A loud cry of agreement erupted from the griffon's mouth and once his master had taken its reigns in his hands, he snapped his wings open and ran across the charred roof of the chapel that had perched themselves upon before jumping upwards; the wind caught his wings and immediately set them into the sky so far and so fast, that they were just a little black dot to whomever would look up.

* * *

><p><strong>NOTE: <strong>If you enjoyed this chapter and would like to share your thoughts about it, leave me a review. If you have any critic, even better! Just as long as it's not pointless hate that's sole purpose is to try to diminish my self-confidence, anything is welcome. Thank you. :)


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